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Overview

The S251SMU33EP USB 3.0 / eSATAp drive enclosure turns a 2.5in SATA hard drive (HDD) or solid state drive (SSD) into an external portable hard drive that can connect to any USB or eSATA-enabled computer system.

For fast performance and efficient data transfers when connected through eSATA, the enclosure supports full SATA III transfer speeds -- up to 6 Gbps. For universal compatibility, the S251SMU33EP can be connected through USB 3.0 with transfer speeds up 5 Gbps plus support for UASP, which delivers performance up to 70% faster than conventional USB 3.0 when paired with a UASP-enabled host controller to utilize the full potential of your SATA III hard drives. See our UASP testing results below for further details.

Designed for maximum portability, the S251SMU33EP doesn't require an external power adapter when connected to an eSATAp (USB + eSATA combo) host port.

The 2.5in enclosure supports the fastest drive technologies including SATA III (6 Gbps), hybrid drives and solid state drives (SSD), saving you time by ensuring you're getting the most out of your drive performance.

To ensure compatibility with your computer system, the S251SMU33EP supports all of the leading operating systems, including: Microsoft Windows®, Apple® OSX, Linux, and Google Chrome OS™.

The S251SMU33EP is backed by a StarTech.com 2-year warranty and free lifetime technical support.

Manuals

Data Sheets

Frequently Asked Questions

Before You Buy

Hard drive enclosures require power from your system's USB port. Although you can plug in any standard SATA drive, USB ports only supply a limited amount of power and are not able to power all of the hard drives plugged into the system.

The power capabilities of the USB port combined with the power requirements of the attached hard drive will determine if the hard drive enclosure will work in your setup. The power (in mA) supplied by the USB port must be greater than the requirements of the hard drive.

A USB 2.0 port can supply a maximum of 500 mA (0.5 A), and a USB 3.0 port can supply a maximum of 900 mA (0.9 A).

You can usually find the power requirements of your hard drive in the technical specifications on the label of the hard drive or on the manufacturer's website.

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To determine if your hard drive will work in this enclosure, on the product page, click the Technical Specifications tab, and do the following:

Make sure that the enclosure supports the storage size of your hard drive. If the storage size of your hard drive is larger than what the enclosure was tested with, the hard drive will likely still work with the enclosure.

Confirm that your hard drive uses the same interface type as the enclosure. For example, IDE, SATA, or M.2.

Make sure that the enclosure supports the physical size of your hard drive, such as 2.5 inches or 3.5 inches.

Make sure that the enclosure supports the height of your hard drive. For example, 9 mm or 15 mm.

Verify that the power consumption of your hard drive doesn’t exceed the power output of the enclosure. If you’re using multiple hard drives, make sure that the combined power consumption of all of the hard drives doesn’t exceed the power output of the enclosure.

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Troubleshooting

When you troubleshoot issues with a hard drive enclosure, there are some quick tests that you can complete to rule out potential problems. You can test to make sure that the following components are working correctly and are not the source of the issue:

Cables

Hard drives

Hard drive enclosure

To test your setup components, try the following:

Use the cables, hard drives, and hard drive enclosure in another setup to see if the problem is with the components or the setup.

Use a different cable, hard drive, and hard drive enclosure in your setup to see if the problem persists. Ideally, you should test a component that you know works in another setup.

When you test the hard drive and hard drive enclosure, it is recommended that you do the following:

If the hard drive is listed with unallocated space, the hard drive needs to be reformatted. Right-click unallocated and click New Simple Volume. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the reformatting.​

Note: Formatting a hard drive erases all of the data on it. Make sure that you back up all of your data before you reformat the hard drive.​

If the hard drive is listed as healthy but does not have a drive letter, for example, C:, right-click healthy and click Change Drive Letter and Paths. Click Add, assign a drive letter, and click OK.

Note: A formatted hard drive will not show up in Computer or My Computer until it has a drive letter assigned to it.